Haven't been on in a while but thought I should come on to tell you about Ossie in the vet this morning. I searched the threads and came back with nothing so I don't know if anyone here has had this happen.
Ossie when he came out of his crate this morning wasn't himself I couldn't put my finger on it so was watching him like a hawk. He become more sluggish around 9.30 so I rang the vet, receptionist said he'd ring back. Ossie started coughing like he was trying to clear his throat and then got sick yellow bile. Coughing continued, woke my OH to take a look at him. Rang the vet again, who said they had appointment at 3. Ossie started dribbling and was very shaky on his legs.
I put him in the car and drove into the vets.
Vet thinks that his palette was blocking his windpipe and that was what he was trying to clear. She said it can happen in cavs that the palette is too long and can slip over the windpipe. If it becomes recurrent they can operate to shorten the palette, she also said that if it does happen again to pinch his windpipe under his throat or stick my fingers down his throat, making him gag and this should push it back in place, if not go straight to vets.
Hope this helps someone if they find themselves in the same situation.

drphilzeltzman

13th February 2009, 03:25 AM

Mmmm. I really have to comment on this.

I'm a surgeon in Pennsylvania, USA. You might want to check out my web site ("Surgical topics") under Brachycephalic syndrome, or under Elongated soft palate.

This should not be taken lightly, as dogs feel like they suffocate when they have this condition. Not a happy feeling!

This is not something that recurs, or that improves with time. It should be actually diagnosed under sedation or anesthesia (ie you can't "think" he has it). And then it should be trimmed with surgery. Done by someone experienced (ie who does it all the time), it is highly successful.

They also ought to check your puppy's saccules, and be capable of dealing with the situation if they're everted.

And by the way, while you're on my site, see if you might be interested in my newsletter :-)

Hmm I am fairly sure that Faith has this and the vet actually mentioned it last time I went in with her (I said.. Look.. she's snorting.. and she's awake.. h*lp). As Dr. Zeltzman mentioned, we're waiting for her to be put under anaesthesia someday (which will probably be for her knee :() for an "official confirmation." I feel that the anaesthetic risks just to check that alone at this point in time outweigh the benefts (she doesn't have any "problems" as of now - just snores like a dinosaur and snorts when she's awake sometimes

I was under the impression that the removal of the extra palate can lead to excessive scar tissue formation which can in some cases be worse than the actual elongated soft palate in the first place :confused: Any comments on that?

That's so scary with Ossie! I am sorry you went through that :hug::hug:

Good luck and I hope things start to look up! :xfngr: :flwr:

drphilzeltzman

14th February 2009, 06:25 PM

Well... like I wrote, it should be done by an experienced vet or surgeon. Scar tissue should not occur if the surgery is done correctly.

Dr Zeltzman
www.drphilzeltzman.com (http://www.drphilzeltzman.com)

arasara

15th February 2009, 04:13 AM

Thanks. :)

One more question - I know this is a weird one, but do you know for dogs who have elected to have the surgery and it was completed successfully, do they still snore as loud?? :rolleyes:

annod

15th February 2009, 10:13 AM

Thanks for the replies. Because it had cleared before we got to the vet, I think he got so excited when he got in the car and this helped push his palette back. The vet didn't see him. She said that she didn't want to say 100% it was that because she didn't see it happen. She said she wouldn't put him through having a scope done just on one episode either. We are watching him real close (I have the babies monitors set up beside him at night too!!!) and I'm afraid to leave him for too long because it all happened so quick the other day.
Now, looking back he does clear his throat a lot and some days he snores very loud too, so I do think we have a case of elongated palette. I'm presuming that once he is able to clear it himself its not as much of a problem, however if it gets stuck like the other day then we have a problem. I will say though that one more episode like what happened is enough for me to insist on further investigation.
Also I'd like to add that I will have to contact the vet again I think I was in such shock the other day that I may have not heard all she was saying!

Pat

15th February 2009, 06:19 PM

Here is some indepth info:

http://cavalierhealth.org/brachycephalic.htm

Pat

drphilzeltzman

22nd February 2009, 04:03 AM

Hello,

This is a late (sorry) reply to Arasara's question:

"One more question - I know this is a weird one, but do you know for dogs who have elected to have the surgery and it was completed successfully, do they still snore as loud??"

If you read the info on Pat's link, or one on my web site about the brachycephalic syndrome, you will see that there may be at least 3 conditions going on at the same time: elongated soft palate, stenotic nares and everted saccules. All 3 can be addressed successfully with surgery.

However, surgery doesn't change the patient's short face, so it is possible that there still will be some noise. So "do they still snore as loud?" The answer is no. But they still make make some noise.

In other words, we can't make these patients perfect, but we can dramatically improve their quality of life so that they don't suffocate anymore.

Dr Zeltzman
www.drphilzeltzman.com (http://www.drphilzeltzman.com/)
My next newsletter is about a brand new cancer treatment.

ourfurbabies5

22nd February 2009, 05:20 AM

Reading all of this has me a little scared. Emmie has been with us four months & is 8 yrs. old. Is surgery something I should consider? The thought that she might feel she is suffocating scares me.

arasara

23rd February 2009, 02:29 AM

Thank you for your reply Dr. Zeltzman. I was wondering because I have the worlds loudest snorer here :lol: Actually it's weird that she has one of the longer muzzles I've seen, yet she can snore any large man under the table :lol: I think when I get our heart worm tests in the spring I'll ask for a referral to a specialist. I'd rather a specialist seen it so I know what I'm dealing with. By the way, I love your newsletters! :flwr:

ourfurbabies5 ~ In my opinion, I don't think it's necessary to hop right into surgery unless the benefits vs risks have been carefully weighed and assessed and you're sure that this problem exists. If I were you I would talk to your vet and discuss this issue ;) As far as I know there are different severities of elongated soft pallates. :flwr: good luck!

ourfurbabies5

23rd February 2009, 02:56 AM

Thank you for your reply Arasara. It's time for everyone's yearly check-up and I will have Emmie's snorts & snores checked. :dogwlk: